Ondo State to Pioneer Hello Phonics – A New Model in Reading

A new model in reading has been invented by an Ondo State indigene, Ms. Taiwo Adedunni Adekanye. Historically, the great Sunshine State has been the intellectual and educational backbone of Nigeria. Now, a global milestone that continues that rich heritage has just been birthed under the administration of His Excellency Dr. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa and leadership of the Honorable Commissioner of Education, Science and Technology Prof. Ajibefun Igbekele. This is no doubt a state achievement.

The invention relates to the field of educational technology and literacy instruction. Hello Phonics model as an EdTech is being developed into a specialized app which is a computer implemented process having a digital interactive software architecture, audio trigger processing and Data metrics framework, utilizing an 8-vowel scheme and vertical reading matrix. Hello Phonics Model has been granted a full Federal Patent under CAP 344 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990.

The Legal Reality in Nigeria (CAP 344)

Under Section 1(1) of the Nigerian Patents and Designs Act (CAP 344), an invention is patentable if it is new, results from an inventive step, and has an industrial application.  

The “App” Factor: Hello Phonics Model is being developed into a specialized app.

While a standard printed book is protected by copyright, the moment the Hello Phonics vertical phonics framework is built into a digital, interactive software architecture—utilizing audio triggers, user data metrics, and automated progress analytics—it crosses the line into a computer-implemented process.  

Industrial Application: Because its digital model acts as an operational software machine that can be scaled, deployed via telecoms, and integrated into banking interfaces to onboard users, it perfectly meets the requirements for a patent.

As a Literacy Instruction Model: Hello Phonics Model has been put together and developed into a textbook and this was recommended as a textbook by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) and also Copyrighted by the Nigerian Copyrights Commission.

By implementing the patented 8-vowel matrix and the unique vertical reading architecture, it enables out-of-school children, struggling pupils, and adult learners to achieve fluent text decoding and correct pronunciation in one month.

After fourteen years of intensive research, certification and strategic planning including several highly successful pilot phases in Abuja the Federal Capital Territory, this model and framework completely disrupts traditional reading timelines. In all, the fourteen years of working on this new model has been worth it.

The certificate of registration of patent was presented to Prof. Ajibefun Igbekele the Honorable Commissioner of Education, Science and Technology, Ondo State on Thursday 22 October, 2026 at the Ondo State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. In his remark, Prof. Igbekele congratulated and commended Ms. Taiwo Adekanye for a job well done and for making the state proud. The Honorable Commissioner pledged the ministry’s full support for the Hello Phonics new model in reading and that Ondo State will adopt the model for all levels where it is needed. This means Ondo State can pioneer the deployment of an indigenous software machine capable of eradicating illiteracy across Nigeria and the global landscape.

Two communities have been selected for the pilot schemes in Ondo State: Ikaram Akoko and Ilara-Mokin. Ikaram Akoko will be the first phase while Ilara Mokin will be the second phase. During the inspection of the primary schools at Ikaram, Ms. Taiwo Adekanye presented a copy of the certificate of registration of patent to the Akala of Ikaram, Oba A.O Momodu. Kabiyesi Akala of Ikaram thanked Ms. Adekanye for choosing Ikaram for the pilot scheme and promised full support of the pilot program. Pupils were selected from the six primary schools in Ikaram to participate in the pilot scheme. St. Paul’s Anglican Primary School Iyoke, Muslim Primary School, St. James Anglican Primary School, United Anglican Primary School, LEA Primary School and Community Primary School. The pilot class will hold for two weeks, in November, 2026 at the Community library.

One striking feature of the Hello Phonics Model is the way it seamlessly uses alphabets and its sentence formations. This is well captured in its style of making sentences with the word “Toyota.” Toyota appears four (4) times in the textbook. Toyota’s brand principles and identity, reliability and market superiority are organically woven across four core phonics lessons as a premium symbol of progress, reliability, efficiency and speed.

Hello Phonics Model was first tested in Kingdom Heritage Model School Lokogoma, Abuja in 2018/2019. As a new school with pioneer pupils and teachers, 50 pupils in primary 1 & 2 that could not read were taught with the model. Before the end of the one-month class almost all the pupils were already reading very well. It was a free class held for one hour immediately after school closes. News of the book soon spread to other parents whose kids could not read. The Hello Phonics Model textbook was nicknamed “Reading Book” in the school.

In August 2018, Ms. Taiwo Adekanye wrote a proposal to the Aliko Dangote Foundation introducing the Hello Phonics model to be adopted for the schools that the Aliko Dangote Foundation was supporting in the North East. In the response letter dated November 22, 2018, signed by the Managing Director/CEO Mrs. Zouera Youssoufou, it stated thus “Your efforts and achievements to get children to read quicker are commendable. Unfortunately, the Foundation is fully committed to all our current projects and unable to assist at this time. Please let us know if your book has been approved by the Federal Ministry of Education for use here and we discuss further”.

Eight years later, she has officially fulfilled this vital institutional condition. The Hello Phonics Model has been formally evaluated, approved, and recommended as a textbook for use in Nigerian schools by the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) August 2020—the statutory curriculum and book evaluation agency of the Federal Ministry of Education. Furthermore, to ensure complete legal and structural compliance for large-scale institutional rollout, Hello Phonics Model has been officially awarded the Federal Republic of Nigeria Certificate of Registration of Patent (under CAP 344 Laws of the Federation 1990). This dual layer validation – national curriculum recommendation and patent protection – officially transforms the Hello Phonics Model into a certified, proprietary national educational asset.

At this time, Ms. Adekanye and the Hello Phonics team are eager to resume discussions on how the Aliko Dangote Foundation can leverage this verified model within its education mandates.

Hello Phonics Model aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals – SDG 4 (Quality Education).   Target 4.1: Universal Primary Education (Ensure all children complete free, equitable, and quality primary education)

Target 4.5: Equity & Inclusion (Eliminate gender, regional, and economic disparities in educational access)

Target 4.6: Youth & Adult Literacy (Ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults achieve literacy and numeracy)

Target 4.b & 4.c: Qualified Teachers & Systemic Scaling (Substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers and monitor learning data metrics)

Hello Phonics has been shortlisted in the approved list of books for Oyo State 2026-2032, Osun State 2026-2032, and Lagos State for 2026-2029.

Investment Opportunities

Hello Phonics Model is not just a product; it is a feeling. It is a solution; it delivers value, change and reliability with premium quality. The value chain for the Hello Phonics Model involves the publishing organization which is meant to publish the rollout to the entire nation. The sole distributors and marketers for each state, the telecom service provider and most especially the software architecture developers. There is a huge investment opportunity for all stakeholders and also a massive return on investment. The Hello Phonics Model is ideal for the incidence of out-of-school-children (over 10.5 million), girl child education, adult literacy programs, primary school pupils that cannot read as well as struggling secondary school students.  

The Telecoms Layer (Mass Deployment): By deploying the Hello Phonics Model via telecommunications networks (such as USSD, SMS engines, or lightweight mobile web frameworks), the invention becomes an operational telecommunications utility. This turns its literacy engine into a scalable infrastructure asset capable of running on existing hardware networks.

The Fintech Integration Layer (User Onboarding): Integrating Hello Phonics reading model directly into banking interfaces (like mobile apps, agent banking terminals, or KYC onboarding pipelines) creates a tangible industrial application. Financial exclusion in Nigeria is deeply tied to illiteracy; by serving as a verification or onboarding tool that processes user data metrics, the Hello Phonics Model software acts as a utility engine for the commercial banking sector.

Hello Phonics Model is set to disrupt the educational ecosystem globally.

For more information on the Hello Phonics Model send an email to taiwokanye201@gmail.com or taiwo@jdgloballight.org